A Game of Secrets
by MondayChardonnay
Summary: Devastated by the terrorist bombing that claimed the life of his best friend—and unrequited love—Ava Mathenson, twenty-five year old Albus Potter begins investigating the organization responsible. But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that nothing is as it seems, and Ava may not be as dead as he had believed.
1. Prologue

**Summary: ****Devastated by the terrorist bombing that claimed the life of his longtime best friend - and unrequited love - Ava Mathenson, twenty-five year old Albus begins investigating the organization behind the explosion through his resources at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He discovers that the Erumpent Horn Powder that was used to make the explosive device was smuggled into the country illegally. The deeper he gets into the investigation, the more disturbing the details of the smuggling ring's extensive connections become. When his superiors do not take his information seriously enough, Albus decides to check out a warehouse, owned by a shell corporation that the criminal organization is using as a front, on his own. There, he stumbles across the very last person he ever would have expected to find...Ava. Soon, they are wrapped up in an international hunt for the people behind the smuggling, and the terrorists who are determined to continue planting bombs in an attempt to take out as many muggleborns as possible.**

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I finally have this story fleshed out enough to begin posting! It's so exciting :) I told a couple of you that I hoped to have this ready within the next couple of weeks. I don't think you'll mind that I got it up sooner. For those of you who are here because of "A Fine Line," my multi-chapter Rose/Scorpius fic, thank you so much for taking an interest. I fell in love with Albus while I was writing that story, and I just wanted so badly to tell his and Ava's tale. Hopefully I get enough people interested in this to make it worth writing.**

**For those of you who are new to my writing, welcome! If you're interested, I hope you'll check out some of my other stories. I'm planning on updating this story about once a week, but for anyone who read "A Fine Line," you'll know that I am really inconsistent when it comes to sticking to that - but in the best way possible! I will post a chapter whenever I finish it, so it can be anywhere from 2 days to a little over a week between updates. I try not to let any more time go between chapters than that, because I know how frustrating it is to be waiting for a new chapter to come out. That said, I'm not sure that I'll be able to keep up the pace that I was able to maintain for "A Fine Line." Real life has gotten a bit more complicated lately, so you may have to bear with me from time to time. But I do have the entire thing plotted out, with a few scenes already written, so you don't have to worry about the wait being too long.**

**I'd also like to give a quick shout out to sonnieray. She was one of my early reviewers for "A Fine Line" and was never shy about letting me know just how much she loved Albus. Thanks Sonnie! You motivated me to get this posted sooner :)**

**As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy it, and _please_ don't forget to let me know what you think!**

* * *

**A Game of Secrets**

**"While all deception requires secrecy, all secrecy is not meant to deceive." –Sissela Bok**

**Prologue:**

The autumn air had a bite to it now that the sun had disappeared behind the warehouses lining the cracked asphalt street. Albus Potter pulled the collar of his jacket more firmly around his throat in an attempt to ward off the chill. He was huddled in the shadows, his eyes fixed on one of the large, corrugated metal buildings in the largely abandoned industrial neighborhood. So far, there had been no signs of life, but the feeling in his gut told him that it was only a matter of time.

Albus had spent the better part of the last year tracking the movements of an import/export group that was most definitely not dealing in legal wares. He had stumbled across the smuggling ring's illicit activities through his job working for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Starting a little over a year ago, there had been a series of attacks in areas of England that boasted a high population of muggleborn witches and wizards. Bombs, constructed using Erumpent Horn Powder, had been planted in multiple buildings, and the resultant explosions had claimed dozens of lives.

As a Class B Tradeable Material, Erumpent Horns were heavily regulated by his department. The fact that untraceable powder was used in those explosive devices meant that the substance must have come into the country illegally. Albus had been aware of the fact that this smuggling ring may exist, but he had not been a part of the case, even peripherally, and so had followed the investigation just as the rest of the wizarding community had—through the papers and news broadcasts.

And then the unthinkable had happened. Another explosion. This one even more deadly than the first three. He had taken the copy of The Daily Prophet from a teary eyed Rose and his entire world had collapsed. His best friend's photo was smiling up at him from among the faces of the dead. _Ava._ Beautiful, laughing Ava.

When Albus had finally surfaced from a drunken stupor three days later, he had made a decision. He would do everything in his power to get to the bottom of this. He would make sure that the people who were responsible for Ava's death would pay for it. He would never be able to bring Ava back—would never feel her hand on his, or hear her voice, or look into her amber eyes—but he could get justice for her. No one had the connections he did in the world of magical creatures. He would track down the people who did this, and he would bring the information to his superiors. And then his father and the other Aurors would take it from there.

Months of research later, Albus finally had the information he had been looking for. After digging through hundreds of back channels and speaking with some less than savory characters, he had discovered a smuggling ring that was illegally shipping unregulated animal parts into the country. And Erumpent Horns were on the manifest.

However, when he went to speak with his supervisor, research material in hand, Arnold Bensen had brushed him off. He had told Albus to let the Aurors handle it. With the amount of damage that those explosions had done, Bensen was sure that the situation was under control. At least more so than it could be with the help of someone who had only been out of school for six years. When Albus had appealed to Bensen's boss, Marcus Cole, he had been gently rebuffed. Cole trusted Bensen's judgment and had little patience for idealists. Albus was again told to let the Aurors handle it.

But Albus did not feel that this angle of the investigation was being explored thoroughly enough. If it was, wouldn't someone in the Auror's office have consulted with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? Albus knew that his connections could help. He wanted to be involved. He needed to be involved.

So he went to his father. Harry Potter. The Ministry's Head Auror. The Boy Who Lived. Harry had placed a sympathetic hand on his son's shoulder and promised Albus that they were doing everything in their power to catch the terrorists responsible for the explosions. Those responsible for Ava's death. He had told Albus to leave it to him. To leave it alone.

But he couldn't. He just could not do it. Frustrated at the fact that his inquiries were not getting the respect that he felt they deserved, Albus continued to investigate on his own. It had become an obsession.

And so he found himself, two days after his twenty-fifth birthday, staking out a warehouse on the river. A warehouse that he had managed to connect to a shell corporation that he could prove the smugglers were using as a front. He was sure that this was the building that they were operating out of. Now he just needed to watch and wait for one of them to show themselves.

Albus hadn't bothered to tell anyone where he was going. He knew that that was most likely an incredibly stupid thing to do, but he just could not take the risk that someone would stop him. He had come too far to turn back now. If anything proved to be too dangerous, he could always apparate away and tell his father what he had found. But for now, without any real evidence, he knew that he would most likely be pushed off to the side, made to sit quietly in the corner like a recalcitrant child. He couldn't risk that. He had to do this. For _her_.

* * *

After another hour, the sun had fully set and a darkness had settled, a blackness so deep that Albus could just barely make out the pinpricks of light, peeking out through the cracks in the paint that had been generously slathered over the building's windows. This was never going to work. He needed to get closer.

Albus tiptoed across the street, making his way closer to the smugglers' warehouse. Every step he took seemed to echo in the crisp night air. He slipped into the narrow alleyway between the warehouse and the stone shed next door before hunkering down in the building's shadow. He took a deep, steadying breath, before sliding his way as silently as possible towards the window that was allowing the most light to escape. He heard muffled voices coming from inside and strained his ears in an attempt to pick up some of the conversation.

Quidditch scores. Not helpful.

Albus slowly snuck up to the window, flattening his body against the cold metal wall and angling his head so that he could see through the filthy glass. There were two men and a woman inside. The men were seated on two wooden crates, playing Exploding Snap. The woman had her back to the window, but at a particularly loud pop, nastily ordered the men to knock it off around the merchandise.

There was something familiar about her voice, but Albus couldn't quite place the harsh edge to it. His eyes swept the room, taking in the piles of crates surrounding the three smugglers. Against the far wall, he could see a few, very carefully stacked boxes that were clearly labeled with warning signs. They must contain the erumpent powder. No wonder the woman was nervous. One stray spark and the entire block could be blown straight to hell.

Albus shifted his weight, trying to get a clearer view of the warehouse's interior. As he leaned forward, his foot slipped, causing his toe to bang into the wall with a resounding clang. If the building had been made of wood or stone, there would have been hardly any noise, but of course it had to be a shoddy metal structure, and so the resulting echo was far too loud. Albus winced at the volume of the sound, holding his breath and hoping that the trio inside had not heard it.

No such luck. All three of their heads had snapped up. Albus jumped back from the window before any of them spotted him and tried to sneak away as quickly as possible. This was definitely not somewhere that he wanted to be discovered. He made it to the corner of the warehouse, and had just lifted his wand to apparate home, when the door to his right burst open and a lithe figure plowed into his side.

Albus's wand flew from his hand as he was tackled to the ground. He twisted his upper body, reaching out in a desperate attempt to regain his best means of defense. The tips of his fingers just managed to brush the smooth wood of his wand when his attacker grabbed onto his wrist and pulled.

Quickly realizing that he had the advantage when it came to size, Albus rolled, pinning the smuggler beneath him while simultaneously wrapping his hand around his wand. A quick jab of an elbow sent a sharp stab of pain rushing through his ribs, and he shoved to his feet to face off against his unknown foe.

It was far too dark for Albus to make out the features of the person standing opposite him, but the shadowed silhouette was more than enough to show him that he was currently fighting the woman who he had seen inside earlier. He stepped forward, hoping to push her further towards the light filtering through the window, but she merely shifted to her left, causing them to circle around one another.

Their wands were raised and pointed at each other. It was merely a question of who would strike first. Albus was loathe to make the first move, as that would undoubtedly alert the other smugglers to his presence. He wanted to avoid that eventuality for as long as was humanly possible.

The woman moved towards him and Albus found himself backing up, in spite of himself. She wasn't attempting to curse him, which he had only a second to consider odd, before she was launching herself at him again. Apparently, she preferred hand to hand combat.

Albus barely managed to dodge the fist that was rapidly heading towards his face, before sweeping his leg into hers in the hopes of throwing her off balance. He only succeeded in sending her body crashing into his. The force of the collision caused Albus to fall backwards, his back slamming into the stone wall of the shed behind him. He gasped as the cold stone dug into his spine, momentarily knocking the air out of his lungs.

His opponent used his temporary lack of focus to raise her forearm to his throat, pinning him to the wall with firm pressure.

Gasping for breath, Albus looked up—straight into the face of a ghost.

"Ava?" he breathed, unable to fully comprehend the fact that she was standing right in front of him, staring up at him in shock. She looked so different, and yet, even in the dim light, there was no denying that it _was_ Ava.

Her usually long, thick mahogany hair was cropped into a choppy bob, with blonde streaks throughout. There was a diamond stud on the left side of her nose, a silver barbell piercing through her right eyebrow, and a viciously curved black spike hanging from her left ear lobe. Her gilded eyes sparked at him from behind thick black eyeliner and shimmery purple eye shadow. Severe black patterns were tattooed onto the skin of her neck, the ink swirling down her right arm before ending in a series of sharp points on the back of her hand. Her jaw was set and Albus had a difficult time seeing past the hard expression on her face to the girl who had once been his best friend. The girl he had thought to be dead for almost a year.

While he was still trying to process the fact that Ava was _alive,_ and at the place to where he had tracked a very dangerous ring of smugglers, his muddled brain vaguely registered the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Dammit, Albus," Ava cursed under her breath, shoving away from him before raising her wand.

And suddenly, Albus's world went black as his body crumpled to the ground.

* * *

**I like to give a little teaser, just as a preview of coming attractions, so I will always tell you the title of the next chapter. And so, the next chapter is..."Fourteen Years Earlier." Stay tuned! Hope to see you next time! And don't forget to check out my other Harry Potter stories!**


	2. Fourteen Years Earlier

**Author's Note:**** Hello everyone! I am so, _so_ sorry that it's taken me so long to update this story. I just had to get James and Melinda out of my head first. Hopefully Ill be able to devote my full concentration to Albus and Ava now :) If you haven't done so, head on over to "Closets" and read about Harry's eldest son and Neville's daughter. I had a lot of fun writing that one and I'm excited to get back to "A Game of Secrets." **

**I had a ton of writer's block with this chapter. Somehow, I seem to have an easier time writing characters who hate each other - or at least snark at each other constantly - than those who are actually friends. I think I finally got the dialogue right. We'll see what you guys think. I'm also starting a new job, so I've been a little busier than usual. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get a good writing routine going soon. This is a pretty long chapter, so hopefully that'll make up for how long it has taken me to post. I'm trying to get through as many of the flashback stuff as possible in big chunks, because I'm sure you're eager to find out what Ava was doing with the smugglers!**

**Just a warning...for the next few chapters, we will be jumping back in time to see how Albus and Ava's relationship developed. It will all be in Albus's point of view until we catch up to the Prologue, but then I will be switching over to Ava and telling her side of things. Because of this structure, it will be a little while (I'm thinking around chapter 11 or so) before Ava's actions in the Prologue will start to be explained, so bear with me!**

**As promised, there will be parallels between this story and my Rose/Scorpius story, _A Fine Line._ There are a few in this chapter, so let's see if you can spot them!**

**As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy it and ****_please_**** don't forget to let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Fourteen Years Earlier**

Albus Potter was terrified. His father had gently soothed his nerves at Platform 9¾ that morning before he had boarded the Hogwarts Express, but now that he was faced with a Great Hall full of people and an ancient, battered hat, his fear was back in full force. And the teasing that his older brother James had subjected him to for the entire train ride had not helped. Albus loved his brother, but he could be a real prat sometimes.

What if he didn't end up being Sorted into Gryffindor? His entire family was in that House. What if he ended up all alone? And what if the House that he ended up in was _Slytherin?_ Although his father had insisted that he would be accepted were that to happen, he was still petrified by the prospect. It was true that he had been raised to believe that everyone should be judged by who they were, not by sweeping generalizations, but it was nearly impossible to deny that Slytherins had a very justified stigma attached to them. And he didn't know if he could handle being lumped in with that lot.

Albus shifted back and forth from foot to foot, trying to find an outlet for some of his anxiety. He twisted his hands in front of him, unable to stop himself from moving. Even the comforting presence of Hagrid and his cousin Rose nearby did nothing to ease the nerves. He swiped his hand across his forehead impatiently, brushing aside the clumps of unruly black hair that were continuously falling into his eyes as he fidgeted.

He glanced to his left to see Rose, her face a bit paler than usual, and her eyes scanning the expanse of the Great Hall. What if he ended up in a different House from his cousin? From his entire family? And, as much as his father had insisted that they would be proud of him no matter what, would his brother and cousins really be able to accept the fact that he wasn't a Gryffindor?

He was going to drive himself insane with worry. And the Sorting hadn't even started yet. He could very well be working himself up over nothing. Besides, hadn't his father said that the Sorting Hat took your wants into consideration? He would just have to insist that he wasn't placed into Slytherin House and hope that his father hadn't merely been trying to make him feel better.

The sound of Headmistress McGonagall's voice startled him from his thoughts. She had risen and was addressing the gathering of students. "Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts. For those of you who do not yet know me, I am Professor McGonagall, your headmistress. I would briefly like to direct your attention to Mr. Filch, our caretaker, for a reminder of school policies concerning where and when you may wander throughout the castle and grounds."

Filch's gnarled form limped up to the front of the teacher's platform and his gravelly voice began to recite the very long list of forbidden activities and restricted locations throughout the castle. The slight undertone of glee in his voice betrayed just how much he would relish the ability to punish any student guilty of disobedience. Albus allowed his voice to fade into the background as he continued to expend his nervous energy by twisting at the fabric of his robes.

If the growing buzz of whispers throughout the Great Hall was any indication, the rest of the student body had joined him in tuning out the ancient caretaker. The man droned on and on. When Filch had finally, once again taken his seat, McGonagall rose, gesturing to Hagrid that he should escort the first years to the front of the hall to be Sorted.

"And now, it is time for the Sorting Ceremony." McGonagall called out as Hagrid stepped forward and placed an old and battered stool in front of the group of trembling first years. He reverently placed the worn and frayed Sorting Hat on top of the wood before stepping back and smiling encouragingly at Rose and Albus.

The hat's brim opened wide and it began its song, speaking of unity and camaraderie between all of the members of Hogwarts. Albus found that the words washed over him, unable to fully register due to the sheer volume of terror that had overtaken his body. He glanced around the Hall, taking in the multitude of faces seated at the enormous House tables, crossing his fingers and hoping with all of his might that he would soon be taking his place with the Gryffindors.

As the Sorting Hat concluded its song, McGonagall stepped forward again, her voice piercing the air, which had become heavy with anticipation.

"First years," she began, "When I call your name, please step forward, take a seat on the stool, and place the Sorting Hat on your head.

"Beatrice Ceminsky." A mousy-looking girl with big brown eyes stumbled forward, carefully putting on the hat. After a few brief seconds, the brim of the hat opened and it called out,

"Hufflepuff!"

"Ariella Gould." Ariella gracefully lowered herself to the stool, nervously twirling a lock of her raven hair around her fingers as the hat deliberated.

"Gryffindor!" Albus gulped at the hat's decision, watching Ariella make her way over to the table where the majority of his family sat.

"Augustus Goyle." A large, brutish boy with a squashed-looking face sat, the hat barely touching his head before it made its decision.

"Slytherin!"

"Mason Jacobs."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Thomas Kirkpatrick."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Melinda Longbottom." Neville's daughter had inherited the wispy blonde hair that his wife, Hannah possessed, along with the rounded, cheery face that both of her parents had lamented in their youth but grown out of as they matured. Albus send some positive thoughts his friend's way, hoping that she would be happy with the House she was Sorted into.

"Gryffindor!" Albus smiled, looking up to the Professor's table, where Neville was beaming with pride as he enthusiastically applauded his daughter.

"Scorpius Malfoy!"

The hat took a bit longer this time, and Albus noticed that the Malfoy boy looked just as terrified as Albus felt. Finally, the hat yelled, "Slytherin!" and the boy stood, shaking slightly, before making his way over to the table beneath the green and silver hangings.

"Ava Mathenson." A delicate figure brushed past Albus. He glanced over to see a girl with long mahogany hair making her way up to the front of the hall. She turned, sliding up onto the stool and biting her lip as the hat was lowered onto her head.

"Gryffindor!" Ava let out a slight smile before standing and walking over to the Gryffindor table, blushing at the applause.

"Grant McCormick."

"Ravenclaw!

"Albus Potter."

Albus's heart thudded in his chest and a sudden whining in his ears alerted him to the fact that he had stopped breathing. He forced himself to fill his lungs. This was it.

The room erupted in excited whispers as he walked to the stool. Even after nearly two decades, the name Potter still drew an enormous amount of attention, much to the dismay of the Potter family. In fact, Albus's father had often joked that he wished he had taken his wife's name when they married. At least then he would have been able to get a tiny bit of privacy, lost in the extensive list of Weasleys.

Albus boosted himself onto the stool, wiping his sweaty palms on his robes as the hat was placed onto his head.

"Ah, yes. Half Potter, half Weasley. I do so enjoy it when my choice is made so easy. Now, if you have no objections, it will have to be…Gryffindor!" The hat shouted the last word aloud and Albus almost slid from the stool in relief. Hagrid lifted the ancient Sorting Hat and Albus jumped up, shooting a broad grin back at Rose before bounding over to the Gryffindor table.

James was standing, along with the rest of the Weasley/Potter clan, clapping excitedly and beaming. He reached out, pounding his younger brother on the back in congratulations as Albus took his place at the table. Everyone else chimed in with their shouts of "well done!" before they all turned their attention back to the Sorting. Albus tuned back in to the action at the front of the hall just in time to hear his best friend's name called.

"Lorcan Scamander." Lorcan settled himself on the stool, looking a bit nervous. Luckily for him, his parents were hardly the type to care in the least which House he and his twin brother ended up in.

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted. Albus clapped enthusiastically as Lorcan moved to join him at the Gryffindor table, beaming.

"Lysander Scamander."

"Ravenclaw!"

Luna's sons looked only slightly put out about the fact that they were being split up. Lysander wandered dreamily over to the Ravenclaw table. It was not hard to see that, of the two, he had inherited his mother's more…_loony_…personality traits.

"Oliver Swott."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Ronan Thomas."

"Gryffindor!"

"Silvia Vimes."

"Ravenclaw!"

Finally, it was Rose's turn. Albus watched his cousin settle onto the stool before Hagrid slid the hat over her wild red hair. After only a few seconds, the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" and Rose sagged in relief before leaping up, smiling as she made her way to the Gryffindor table. She sat across from Albus, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Nathaniel Wood."

"Gryffindor!"

"Francis Zabini."

"Slytherin!"

McGonagall rolled up the piece of parchment containing the names of the first years and swept her gaze over the Great Hall. "Now, you will all be getting your schedules tomorrow morning and the work will begin. But for now, enjoy the feast!"

A great cheer went up among the students as every kind of food imaginable materialized in front of them. Albus looked up, his eyes locking with Rose's. Their faces erupted in uncontrollable grins as they soaked in the fact that the Sorting was over, and they had both managed to end up in Gryffindor. Then, he directed his attention to heaping portions of various treats onto his plate. He was beginning to see just what James had meant when he had spoken of the feasts at Hogwarts.

* * *

The next morning, Albus collected his class schedule from Professor Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor House, before making his way down to the dungeons for his first class. He walked alongside Rose, Lorcan, and Melinda as they headed down to their first Potions class, a bit apprehensive of the fact that they would be sharing the classroom with the Slytherin first years. When they walked in, they were greeted by the pompous voice of Professor Slughorn, who was standing beside a simmering cauldron at the front of the room.

"Welcome, welcome. I see many familiar faces—know many of your parents, of course. Please, have a seat," he gestured to the tables. "I have just a quick little quiz to give all of you. Yes, yes I know. First day pop quizzes are hardly fair, but this one will not count towards your final grade, you can be glad of that. It's just to judge the general knowledge base of the classroom so that I can have an idea of where to start. It will also be used to pair you up into partners for the rest of the year according to ability. This way we don't have anyone being dragged down or bored. Now that doesn't sound so bad, does it?" Slughorn nodded firmly before flicking his wand towards the students, causing a piece of parchment with ten basic potions-related questions to appear before each of them. "I will give you ten minutes. Take your time and remember, it doesn't matter how well you do. It's just to give me an idea of your abilities. You may begin."

Albus had to stifle a groan as he looked down at the parchment in front of him. He had been raised in a wizarding family, and a talented one at that, so he had a basic knowledge of potions—although, to be fair, much of that knowledge came from the mischievous experiments of his brother James and cousin Fred. Still, there were several questions on Slughorn's little quiz that he had little hope of being able to answer.

He glanced up to see Rose scribbling furiously. Of course she would know every single answer. While most of the students were scratching their heads or staring at their papers in confusion, Rose Weasley was breezing through. She wasn't Hermione Granger Weasley's daughter for nothing.

Albus refocused his attention on his own parchment and picked up his quill. He had managed to answer all of the questions he could just as Slughorn yelled,

"And that's time!" The professor threw his hand out, flicking his wand and causing the quizzes to fly across the room and into his outstretched hand. "Give me a moment to grade these and then I will assign you your partners!"

Slughorn sat at his desk and began quickly flipping through the tests, hmm-ing and ahh-ing as he marked them with his red-inked quill. Finally, he stood and ran his gaze over the classroom.

"Well, I am more impressed with some of you than others, but of course it is only to be expected that there will be a few in every class who have not yet decided to open their books. No matter, no matter. I am sure you will catch up soon. And now for your partners. Be warned. You will be paired with this person for the rest of the school year. There will be no switching, so don't even ask. Now let's see…" he rifled through the pieces of parchment until he pulled one triumphantly from the pile.

"Miss Weasley, you earned a perfect score! I see that you have inherited your mother's brains." He turned to the rest of the class. "Her parents are both members of the Golden Trio, you know. Her mother is one of the cleverest witches I have ever had the pleasure to teach. I still stop in to speak to her whenever I have business in the Ministry. She is a very important official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but she is always happy to take the time to see me. And her father is an Auror, so he is rarely in the office when I am but he always has time for me as well."

Albus rolled his eyes. Everyone in his family was well aware of Slughorn's brown-nosing ways. The man would attach himself to the underbelly of the Giant Squid if he thought it could get him some status. He knew very well that Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron would frequently pretend to be out of the office whenever Slughorn popped in for a _chat_.

"And let's see who your partner will be, Miss Weasley! Ah, yes. Interesting. It appears Mr. Malfoy also answered every question correctly. I knew your father too. He was in my house, you know. Very promising potion maker. Such a shame. Such a shame. Oh, well. Let's see how you get on with Miss Weasley, then."

Albus looked over at Draco Malfoy's son. His father had pointed the boy out on the train platform the day before, but Albus had been too nervous to really take notice. Rose and Scorpius were now exchanging what looked to be rather angry expressions. He could already tell that that particular partnership would be interesting. Rose did not take well to people with poor manners and, judging by the scowl on Scorpius's face, he had just placed himself firmly into that category.

Slughorn had continued down his list of students, in order of grades, while Albus had been contemplating his cousin. He glanced up at the sound of his name.

"Ah, Albus my boy. How is your dear father?" His gaze swept over the rest of the class, his nose so far into the air that Albus felt that there was a danger of seeing straight up into the man's brain. "His father is a dear friend of mine, you know. Yes, yes, Harry Potter and I have been close since he himself was at Hogwarts. He's Head Auror now, of course. I always knew he was destined for great things. But then, it was only natural—after all, how many people can claim that they destroyed the darkest wizard of all time _twice_. And before their eighteenth birthdays, at that. And then there's your mother. Most amazing Bat Bogey Hex I have ever had the pleasure to witness. I expect great things from you, my boy."

Albus sighed as every eye in the class narrowed in appraisal. Of course, most of them were already aware of who his father was, but Slughorn pointing it out and then gushing over his parents was hardly helping him to fit in. He almost sagged in relief when the aged professor looked down at his pile of parchment again.

"Hmm…you will be paired with…ah yes. Ava Mathenson." He looked up, eyes scanning the room. He stopped at the dark haired girl a few rows in front of Albus. "I wish you the best of luck, my dear. Although his quiz was not up to what I am sure will be his usual standards, it is only natural that Mr. Potter will quickly rise to the top of the class."

Albus snorted. "No pressure," he mumbled under his breath.

Ava turned to look at him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed and her eyes considering. He could almost see the nerves coming off of her in waves. Great. Slughorn had managed to scare the girl out of her wits. Just what he wanted in a Potions partner. He sent her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, slightly encouraged when her lips tipped up in response.

Slughorn continued on, pairing up the rest of class. He paused briefly on Melinda's name to praise her inspirational father and, again, to mention how much Lorcan looked like his lovely mother, the delightful Luna Lovegood. Once all of the partners had been assigned, he then instructed the class to open their books to the instructions for the Cure for Boils, a standard beginners' potion for first years, and to see what they could make of it.

The students gathered up their things so that they could pair off. Albus slid onto the stool beside Ava and stuck out his hand. "Hi. I'm Albus."

She cocked her head, tentatively reaching forward and grasping his hand with her own. "Ava."

"Nice to meet you." He gestured to the Potion supplies in front of them. "We should probably get started."

Ava nodded shyly, pushing her long mahogany hair over her shoulder and reaching out to pull the mortar and pestle closer. She wordlessly began to assemble ingredients, glancing sideways at Albus as he lit a fire beneath his cauldron.

Albus found himself fidgeting under her gaze. She had the most unusual amber eyes that he had ever seen, and they had a way of looking at him that made him feel as if she could see straight through him. Needing to break up the silence, Albus opened his mouth. "You should let me get a word in every once in a while, you know. It's only polite."

Ava snorted out a laugh, shaking her head at him in amusement. The awkward tension between them instantly dissipated. "Okay, fair enough." She narrowed her eyes slightly, considering him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Is your father famous or something?"

Albus's jaw dropped as his head whipped around to stare at the girl beside him. He expected to see a mocking expression on her face, but there was nothing but open curiosity. "You're serious."

She blushed slightly. "Well, yes…I mean…Professor Slughorn said something about…never mind…" she trailed off, ducking her head as she continued to grind the snake fangs into a fine powder.

Albus realized that he had embarrassed her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" A realization hit him. "You're muggleborn aren't you?" he asked.

Ava's spine snapped straight. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not," Albus quickly assured her. "It's just…there aren't many people who don't know who my family is—who I am. At least not in the wizarding world. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Well, sorry. I guess I'm glad I could keep from adding to your ego, then."

Now it was Albus's turn to snort. The look she sent his way was so heavily laced with sarcasm that he couldn't help but laugh.

"I realize I'm not exactly caught up on recent wizarding history, but that's no reason to make fun of me," Ava reprimanded him.

Albus immediately stopped laughing. "I'm not making fun of you. I promise. It's just…do you have any idea how great it is to have someone _not_ know who my family is?"

"Really?" Ava asked, skeptically.

"_Yes_." Albus let out an emphatic breath.

"Well okay then," she smiled, reaching across him to add the powdered snake fangs to the cauldron. "You should get the horned slugs out," she instructed him when he made no move to continue working on the potion. "You're going to have to get with the program if you have any hope of living up to Professor Slughorn's expectations."

Albus reached for the jar of slugs, raising an eyebrow haughtily in response her little jibe. "My family is famous. I've already _exceeded_ his expectations."

"And exceeding _his_ expectations is really as high as you want to aim?"

"Touché," Albus conceded, enjoying her. He leaned over to check the temperature of the cauldron. "Wave your wand over that, would you?"

Ava complied before sliding back onto her stool to wait while the potion simmered. When Albus joined her, she smiled over at him.

"So…what's the thing you've found most surprising about the wizarding world?" he asked.

Ava's brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated his question. "I suppose it would be the fact that wizards don't just use magic for everything. Somehow, I guess I had the idea that no one would ever do anything manually if they had the ability to do it magically."

Albus nodded. "I think it would get boring to just do everything with magic."

"I guess I can see that. Although, having grown up in the…muggle world, I'm still so amazed at the fact that magic exists that I can't see myself ever finding it boring." She was clearly still a bit uncomfortable with the wizarding terminology for people without magic.

"My dad was actually raised in the muggle world. And one of my aunts is a muggleborn, so I completely understand that." He paused. "It's funny, you know, there are a lot of wizards who are just as amazed by the muggle world as you are by the magical one."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My granddad's one of them. He's always trying to figure out how muggle devices work. When My Uncle Ron married my Aunt Hermione, I swear he almost wet himself with excitement over the fact that he now had muggles for relations. According to my dad, he spent half of their wedding grilling the Grangers about the Underground and _empty-tree_ players."

Ava laughed at the image. "He'd love talking with my parents, then. My dad's an engineer and my mum's a computer technician. They know how pretty much everything works."

"He'd talk their ears off," Albus grinned. "Actually, most of my family would."

"They'd enjoy it," Ava told him. "There's nothing my parents love more than discussing that kind of thing. And no doubt, they'd give it right back. They're fascinated by the wizarding world."

"So they're okay with the fact that you're a witch?"

"Of course," Ava smiled. "They think it's great. They always worried about me growing up, because I was a little different. Nothing is more important to them than seeing me happy, and when Professor McGonagall showed up on our doorstep to explain that I had magic? After they bombarded her with hundreds upon hundreds of questions, they were ecstatic."

"That's good," Albus murmured. "It's nice having a family that supports you no matter what."

"Is that what you have?"

Albus grunted, a smirk twitching at the side of his mouth. "_Oh_ yeah. My family is _always_ there. Whether you want it or not."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, it kind of is," Albus said softly. He looked up when the timer they had set dinged to let them know that the potion had simmered for long enough. He stood, adding the horned slugs to the mix before taking the cauldron off of the fire. "Grab the porcupine quills?"

They quickly developed a comfortable rhythm, working in tandem to finish the potion while making small talk. Albus could already tell that he and Ava could easily become friends. She had a calm and quiet demeanor, but the longer he talked to her, the more he came to see that there was nothing timid about her. She was quick to laugh, and her smile was completely contagious. By the time that Slughorn instructed the class to bottle up their potions and clear their desks, Albus felt as if he had known Ava for ages.

The sound of a crash drew both of their attentions to one of the classroom aisles, where Scorpius Malfoy's lanky body was currently sprawled across the floor. Albus looked up just in time to see the smirk on Rose's face, as well as the foot that she was pulling back under her desk.

"Well that's not good," he murmured.

"What?" Ava asked, confused.

"I don't know what he did to get on Rose's bad side, but you can take my word for it—it is definitely not a good place to be. And a very hard place to escape."

Ava raised an eyebrow, turning back to examine the little drama unfolding before them. "Sounds like that will be an interesting partnership, then."

"Yeah…" Albus breathed, wincing at the intensity of the glare that Rose was sending Scorpius's way. "Very interesting to say the least."

* * *

As the week progressed, Albus found himself liking Ava more and more. When she walked into Transfiguration on the second day of classes, Albus immediately motioned for her to join him and his friends. He knew that she was a little shy, and so he was more than happy to include her in the little group of Rose, Lorcan, Melinda, and himself. She slipped onto the seat beside his, smiling tentatively at Rose and Melinda, with whom she shared a dorm. When they smiled back at her, their expressions welcoming, she visibly relaxed. By the end of the class, they were all getting along famously.

There was just something about Ava that Albus couldn't help but be drawn to. It had started with the fact that, because Ava was muggleborn, she hadn't been raised to be in awe of his family, like a lot of the rest of his classmates had. He knew that she liked him for _him,_ not what his father had done. At first, he had simply found it endearing that she was confused by the stares and whispers that followed him and his extensive family around like a theme song. Then, after she became aware of just what was inspiring such attentions, he liked her even more because she didn't change the way she acted around him at all. By the end of their first week at Hogwarts, Ava had blended seamlessly into the Weasley/Potters, quickly becoming one of Albus's best friends.

* * *

The following Friday, the first year Gryffindors headed down to the castle's front lawn, along with the first year Ravenclaws, for their first flying lesson. Albus was nearly bursting out of his skin with excitement. You didn't grow up in the Potter or Weasley households without learning how to ride a broom. Hell, he and his siblings and cousins had been swooping through the air almost before they could walk. After the practically constant Quidditch matches that had gone on over the summer, Albus was itching to take to the sky due to being stuck on the ground for the past week.

He grabbed a broom, along with the other students, and lined up at Madam Hooch's instructions. His broom instantly jumped into his hand when he called it, and when they were finally allowed to take off, he felt as if a weight he hadn't even realized that he'd been carrying had been lifted from his shoulders. There was nothing quite like flying.

It wasn't until he finally looked around him at his fellow first years that he realized not everyone was able to hover with the same ease. Coming from the Weasley/Potter family made it easy to forget that not everyone was as good on a broom as he was. Ava in particular was having problems. It was obvious that she was very nervous about lifting off of the ground, and as a result, her broom was simply not cooperating. By the time their lesson had ended, she had managed to levitate a few inches above the grass, but she was clearly still uneasy about the idea of riding on a broom.

Albus fell into step beside her as they made their way back up to the castle. "It's not as scary as it seems."

Ava huffed out a breath. "Easy for you to say, Ace. You look like you were born on a broom."

"I'm serious," he insisted. "You just have to be confident. It's a lot of fun once you get past the fear, I promise."

"Yeah…"

"I could show you, you know," Albus offered, shooting a sideways glance in her direction.

"What do you mean?"

"I could teach you how to fly."

"We're not supposed to use the brooms unsupervised, Albus."

He shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "So we just wouldn't get caught."

"That easy?"

He smirked wickedly. "I'm half Potter and half Weasley. Of course it's that easy."

* * *

The next morning, Albus and Ava snuck out of the castle and across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch. A few flicks of his wand later, they walked out of the shed and onto the field, brooms in hand. Ava was so nervous that Albus could almost feel the anxiety rolling off of her in waves.

"It'll be okay," he assured her. "I won't let you fall. I promise."

He patiently walked her through calling her broom up, then moved on to the proper way to sit and how best to position her hands. By the time they were ready to actually get off the ground, Ava had begun to relax slightly.

"Ready to try lifting off?" Albus asked gently.

Ava's fingers tightened around the broom handle to the point that her knuckles began to whiten. "Just take a few deep breaths, Ava. I'll be right alongside you."

She nodded before following his instructions.

"Okay, good. Now just push off the ground gently. You just want to hover for now."

Ava inhaled raggedly, clearly gathering her courage. Then, she pressed the balls of her feet into the ground, rising up a few inches.

"Good!" Albus cheered her. "Very good. Now just maintain the height. Concentrate on staying in the air. The broom will do what you want it to. You just have to keep your mind focused."

Ava furrowed her brow and managed to float up another half a foot.

"All right," Albus told her. "Now lean towards the handle slightly—just a bit—and think about moving forward."

Nodding, Ava did as he asked. Her broom began to drift slightly. "Like this?"

"Yes, just like that. You're doing great, Ava," Albus assured her. "Now lean a bit farther. Keep your weight centered over the broomstick, but think about moving a bit faster."

Her broom sped up, with Albus walking alongside it. And then, he was jogging.

"I'm doing it!" Ava laughed. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the excited expression on her face.

"Yes, you are. Want to try and maneuver a bit?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay," Albus said, stepping back. "Off you go."

Ava took a few deep breaths before shifting her weight to the side and guiding her broom into a series of figure eights. She was still only a couple of feet off of the ground, but it was much more than she had been able to achieve during their flying lesson the previous day.

Albus stood back, watching her. Given a little more time, he was sure that she would become a talented flyer. She had an innate sense of balance that lent itself perfectly to riding a broom. He laughed as she began to weave up and down, letting out a delighted whoop at each descent.

"This is fun!" she called out to him. "You were right."

Grinning, Albus swung his leg over his own broom and rose up to float beside her. "Well that's always nice to hear."

Ava snorted before catching his gaze with her own. "Thanks for this, Albus."

"Not a problem. Any excuse to spend time on a broom." He watched as she put on a slight burst of speed, then turned to face him.

"You spend a lot of time flying, then?" she asked.

"You could say that," Albus smirked, executing a tight aerial back flip.

Ava rolled her eyes. "Show-off."

He laughed. "Most of my family are big flyers. I've been doing it all my life. We get pretty competitive—lots of rather intense Quidditch matches."

"Quidditch?"

"Right, you wouldn't know about Quidditch." That was almost impossible for Albus to imagine. He had been raised to believe that Quidditch was as integral a part of life as breathing. "It's a game on brooms. There are two teams of seven players. Three of them are Chasers. Their job is to get a big red ball called a Quaffle through one of the three goal posts," he pointed to either end of the pitch. "The Keeper defends the goal. The two Beaters smack a ball called a Bludger around the field—that bit's a little tough to explain—and then the Seeker is in charge of catching a little winged ball called the Snitch."

"That sounds very complicated," Ava frowned.

"I suppose it is," Albus conceded. "Once you see it played, it's fairly easy to understand."

"I'll take your word for it."

Albus laughed. "It's a great sport. Think of it as a bit like muggle football on brooms—with a few twists. And loads more violence."

"And your family plays it?"

"All the time," Albus answered. "It gets very competitive. It isn't uncommon for a few of us to end up with bloody noses or broken bones."

Ava's eyebrows shot upwards. "_Broken_ _bones_?"

He grinned. "Yup. That's a great advantage to magic. Bones can be healed almost instantly. Makes things a lot more interesting."

"Just another thing I suppose I'll have to get used to," she shrugged.

Albus swooped through the air, circling Ava until she applied a burst of speed and matched his movements. "If you pick everything else up as quickly as you have flying, you've got nothing to worry about.

* * *

Over the course of the year, Albus and Ava grew closer and closer, until it could easily be said that they were the best of friends. In fact, they were practically inseparable. Ava quickly became close with Rose and Melinda as well, leading to a very cohesive group. And so, a month into the school year, when Rose and Scorpius's constantly escalating arguments proved too dangerous for their partnership to continue in Potions class and Slughorn was forced to separate them, Ava and Rose quickly adapted to working together, while Albus developed an uneasy sort of working relationship with Scorpius. While he found that he and Scorpius were able to coexist peacefully—and earn high marks on their assignments—he didn't get the same enjoyment out of the class that he would have were he still partnered with Ava. Of course, that didn't stop them from studying together. Or doing nearly everything else together.

By the time they emerged from the grueling week of final exams in June, Albus felt as if he had always known Ava. It was amazing how quickly she had become an essential fixture in his life. Before he knew it, he was boarding the Hogwarts Express on the way back to King's Cross Station for the summer holidays alongside Ava, and the rest of his friends and family.

"Three months, and then we're back here," Albus said to Ava as they climbed down the train's steps and onto the platform.

"You'll write often, won't you?" Ava asked. "After all, you've got an entire army of friends and family to occupy your time. I'll be practically on my own."

"Of course I will," Albus assured her.

"Ava!" Albus and Ava's heads both turned at the sound of her name. A tall, muscular man and a beautiful, teary eyed woman were waving enthusiastically from across the platform.

"Mum! Dad!" Ava called back, a huge smile breaking out on her face. With a quick grin at Albus, Ava took off towards her parents, throwing her arms around her father's neck and laughing as he picked her up to swing her around before setting her on her feet so that she could hug her mother.

"There you are, Albus," Ginny's voice spoke up from a few feet to his right.

"Hi Mum!" Albus reached up to hug his mother, holding on tighter than he had meant to do. While he had enjoyed himself at Hogwarts, he had missed his parents terribly. "Dad," he laughed, jumping up to accept his father's welcoming embrace.

"How were your exams?" Ginny asked, reaching out to ruffle her son's hair.

"I think they went well," Albus answered as he bent to give his little sister Lily a hug.

"They should have done," James spoke up from behind Harry. "You and Ava spent enough time with your noses buried in books."

"Oh, you have to introduce us to Ava, Albus," Ginny insisted. "We didn't get the chance to meet her when we picked you up for winter holidays."

"Of course," Albus said as he turned his head to search out his friend. "She's right over there with her parents."

"Well come on then," Harry told them, starting off towards the Mathensons.

Albus quickened his steps to catch up with his father. "Try not to scare them, Dad."

"What are you talking about?" Harry snorted. "I'm not scary in the least."

"Hello, you must be Ava's parents," Ginny spoke up as they reached Ava and her family. "I'm Ginny, Albus's mother, and this is my husband Harry."

"It's lovely to meet you," Ava's mother said with a wide smile—the same smile that Albus had seen on Ava's face countless times. "I'm Gwen, and this is my husband Joseph."

"Joe," Ava's father interjected, extending his hand for Harry to shake. "It's good to meet you. We've heard wonderful things about your son from our little girl."

Albus looked over towards Ava with a smirk, his eyebrow raised. His smile widened at the sight of her blush before disappearing with a yelp as she surreptitiously snaked out a hand to pinch the skin of his arm between her fingers.

"Play nice," Gwen reprimanded, causing Ava to jump.

"Oh, I'm sure he deserved it," Ginny quipped, looking down at Ava with an approving grin.

Joe's tawny eyes were sweeping over the platform, taking in the mass of swirling bodies amidst the dissipating steam.

"It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" Harry asked, taking a step closer to the larger man.

"Yes, you could say that," Joe admitted.

"I understand completely," Harry assured him. "I was raised by muggles. Had no idea that there was any such thing as magic until I got my letter from Hogwarts."

"Took us by surprise too," Joe said with a smile. "But we couldn't be prouder of Ava." He looked over at his daughter, pride and love shining in his eyes.

"She seems like an amazing girl," Harry laughed as he saw the continued standoff between Ava and his son. "It would take one to keep Albus in line."

"It sounds like he's been a very good friend to Ava." Joe's gaze returned to Harry's. "She was terrified about going away to Hogwarts. Not that she ever would have admitted it to me, mind you, but she was terrified. Your son made her feel like she belonged. I'm grateful for that."

"He's a good boy," Harry said softly. "A bit of a handful, but then that was to be expected. After all, I knew what I was getting into when I married his mother."

Joe let out a loud bark of laughter. "There's nothing like a woman who can keep you on your toes."

"No," Harry smiled, watching Ginny hug Gwen and Ava, before reaching down to pick up the cage containing Albus's owl. "There certainly isn't."

"Well, it was lovely to meet you." Joe turned to shake Harry's hand again.

"You as well," Harry answered. "I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of one another in the future." He turned to help his wife with their sons' luggage.

Gwen enveloped Albus in a hug, then stepped aside so that Joe could shake his hand. "Well, we'll let you kids say goodbye," she smiled.

Albus wrapped his arms around Ava in a slightly awkward embrace. "I'll see you in September," he told her as he pulled back.

"Sounds good," Ava smiled, giving his wrists a quick squeeze, then letting go. "Enjoy your holiday."

"Yeah, you too." Albus watched her as she turned and walked towards her parents. He waited until she glanced back over her shoulder, shooting him a dazzling smile, before he joined his own family and departed the platform.

It was strange, but he almost missed her already.

* * *

**Hopefully that was worth the wait! The next chapter is..."Second and Third Year." Hope to see you next time!**


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